Jadeja and Sundar, approaching their tons, refused to shake hands with Stokes to end the game.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has slammed England’s conduct during the final day of the penultimate Test in Manchester, calling their behaviour unsportsmanlike after India declined their offer to settle for a draw an hour ahead of the stipulated time.
Haddin was effusive in praise of India’s fightback and lashed out at England for trying to end the match once they felt win was out of the equation.
"India showed tremendous fight on the final day. Then all of a sudden, it was a situation when England said they can't win so then let's stop the game because England are done playing," Haddin said while speaking on the Willow Talk Podcast.
England skipper Ben Stokes approached the umpires and indicated his willingness to offer a draw. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar rejected the proposal, leaving the English captain irked.
At the time, Jadeja was batting on 89, 11 short of his fifth Test century, while Sundar was on 80, 20 away from his maiden Test ton.
After India’s decision to carry on batting, Stokes walked towards Jadeja and threw verbal jabs, questioning whether he truly wanted to score a Test hundred against Harry Brook.
The English captain indeed introduced part-timer Brook into the attack and deployed Joe Root from the other end. Both Jadeja and Sundar capitalised on the soft bowling, notching up their respective centuries and then deciding to call it off.
Haddin supported India's right to continue batting, even with a draw inevitable, as Jadeja and Sundar approached personal milestones.
"I liked what India did, they earned the right to stay as long as they want. They had the right to make the hundred. Just because it didn't go England's way and they didn't get the answer they want, all of a sudden they weren't happy and started getting verbal," Haddin added.
England were left ruing a missed opportunity to secure victory and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, despite holding a huge first innings lead of 311 runs at Old Trafford.
India, meanwhile, will take confidence into the final Test at The Oval in London, starting on July 31. They are currently 1-2 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy but have a golden opportunity to draw the series in the finale.